Pickings from Pike’s Past 8.29.24
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50 YEARS AGO: MR. AND MRS. BILL GOODWIN PURCHASE THE BOWL RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE
150 Years Ago
Sept. 3, 1874
The Illinois State Fair will be held in Peoria Sept. 14-19.
The new Methodist Church building in Pittsfield is being rapidly pushed to completion. When finished it will be by far the finest church in town.
A Church of Christ was organized in Griggsville last Monday with a membership of 139.
The corn crop in Kansas and Missouri has not been good this season. Some of the best corn in the nation is in the central part of Illinois.
125 Years Ago
Sept. 5, 1899
The Pittsfield public schools open Monday, and if the extreme heat continues it is going to be hard on both teachers and pupils to be shut up in the school room.
Beginning Sept. 1 the season opens for wild turkey, pheasant, partridge, prairie chickens, geese, ducks and other water fowl. Some of the birds can be shot from this time until April 15; others can only be killed during September.
Sept. 8, 1899
The long-continued heat has broken and vanished, and a sinful world is happy this cloudy morn with its health restoring breezes and lowered temperature. All nature rejoices but isn’t saying much about it.
In Southern Illinois can be seen the most magnificent field of corn upon which white man’s vision has rested since the Pilgrims landed. The sun shines upon 6000 acres of corn that was recently Big Lake in the American Bottom. The corn stands at an average height of 15 feet and will average 100 bushels to the acre.
The Pearl Democrat has subsided and the proprietor, J. W. Hart, has moved his press back to Roodhouse.
100 Years Ago
Sept. 3, 1924
The Boy Scout Jamboree was attended by a more considerable crowd than had been expected, and special interest was manifested in the water carnival which was held at the new city reservoir. The size of the crowd and the interest in evidence was an eloquent testimony of the fact that Pittsfield community wants clean and wholesome amusement. It was not a joy-riding, dance pavilion, baseball, Sunday desecrating crowd.
Mrs. William A. Grimshaw, age 82, died at her home, the old Grimshaw residence on West Perry Street, late Wednesday evening. She broke her hip a week ago and required the most constant attention from her daughter, Mrs. Paul F. Grote, with whom she made her home.
The hard road between Pittsfield and Florence is now completed and open for traffic since the rock crusher and other heavy machinery has now been moved out of the way.
Sheriff Frank Troutner and his deputies Wilbur White and Floyd McCallister discovered a 40-gallon still under a huge straw stack between Rockport and New Canton. They also found six barrels of rye mash and a half gallon of homemade liquor.
Pittsfield city schools open Monday. Thus far, 280 students have registered at the high school. Robert Browne is supt. and Charles A. McCoy is principal. There are 13 other faculty members, including Wilhelmina Bauch
The gypsies are on the move these days, but the once familiar wagon train has given way to the automobile, which must be registered and tagged. It will mean a new life for the Romany since the first bands began to rove over Europe in the fifteenth century.
Funeral services for Hardin Stark were held at the Nebo Baptist Church Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Stark was a Civil War veteran and one of the best known men in the Nebo community.
75 Years Ago
Aug. 31, 1949
The Pittsfield Community Center will be formally dedicated and open for inspection on Sept. 2, 1949.
The Pittsfield public library will be receiving $10,000 more as an endowment fund under terms of the will of a former Pike Countian, Fred B. Jones, who also in his will left his large private library and $25,000.
The new natural gas pipeline has now been completed from Montezuma to Time.
Richard Terry Rush, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robt. E. Rush of Detroit, celebrated his fourth birthday Thursday, Aug. 11th. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. J. Wes Smith of Milton.
Sept. 2, 1949
Dr. Sidney Strauss of Chicago will be the main speaker at dedication of the Pittsfield Community Center today. He has given liberally toward the cost of the Youth center wing, which will also be dedicated. M. D. King, president of the Community Center board will preside at the brief program. Hicks Petty was the contractor for the project.
Miss Evelyn Franklin, daughter of the late Owen and Daisy Franklin and step daughter of Jim Smith, and Carroll Borrowman, son of Mr. and Mrs. Orin Borrowman of Nebo, were united in marriage Sunday afternoon on the lawn at the home of her Uncle, Sid Jackson near Time. Rev. Jesse Bunn performed the double ring ceremony.
50 Years Ago
Sept. 4, 1974
Pittsfield High School enrollment this year is 535, down from 545 last year.
Mr. and Mrs. Tom Gates of Barry this week announced a widespread area expansion in the theater and newspaper business. They have purchased the Zoe Theater in Pittsfield, the Clark Drive-in Theater at Summer Hill, and the Clark Theaters in Louisiana, Mo. and Shelbina, Mo. They have also purchased the Baylis Guide and say that the name of the present Barry-West Pike News will be eventually changed to the Pike County News, and will include the Baylis news.
Omer Bridgeman who has published the Guide for more than 43 years and “has never missed an issue,” will continue commercial printing at his location in Baylis.
John Blake announced Tuesday that the Bowl restaurant and lounge have been sold to Mr. and Mrs. Bill Goodwin of Quincy. Goodwin has been a driver for United Parcel Service, making deliveries to Pittsfield, and is known to many local merchants. The Blakes have owned the Bowl for the past seven years.
PHS graduate, Wayne Chamberlain of Nebo, a senior at Northeast Missouri State University, has been named co-captain of the football team.
Trophies were awarded at the Old Orchard Country Club Sunday afternoon to those golfers who won a father-son tournament. Low gross winners were Toby and Steve Smith and low net winners were Vincent and Rick Zimmerman.
25 Years Ago
Sept. 1, 1999
Dr. Michael Burlingame, Lincoln historian, found some correspondence in the Grote-Grimshaw house from John J. Nicolay to William A. Grimshaw, as he looked through some files with William Grote, Steve Grote and Warren Winston. He discussed these as part of his program given to more than 50 people at the Historic East School Thursday night.
The Pittsfield Saukees kicked in the door of their new West-Central Conference by collaring the Wildcats of Warsaw 47-0 Friday night. Jason Moss rambled for 133 yards and Andy Van Hecke rumbled for 121 yards. Coach Jon Frieden was pleased with the result, in spite of Pittsfield giving up 110 yards in 11 penalties in the first game of the season.
10 Years Ago
Sept. 3, 2014
Harry and Helen Wright were chosen as parade marshals for the 2014 Pittsfield Fall Festival parade. Both the Wrights are involved in many community activities, and have been for many years.
Pittsfield High’s football squad started in a fashion new head coach Curt Simonson wanted—with a convincing 28-6 win over River Valley on the road at Varma. Tanner Ashburn had 29 carries for 134 yards rushing and Laken Labby ran 15 carries for 74 yards.
• Compiled by Michael Boren.
